Aunt Ann

Ann was the 4th child of eight from her parents Sophia and Anton Smoljan. They were immigrants from Slovakia and Croatia, respectively.

Ann had the distinction of having two birthdays, as she was born at home on March 30 ^th , 1925, but her birth was not recorded until March 31 ^st by her midwife.  Ann attended Sacred Heart Croatian Elementary School and St. Peter and Paul Catholic High School in Chicago, Illinois.

Ann married the love of her life, Joseph Yosue, on October 6 ^th , 1946.  Her husband of 35 years passed away on August 21 ^st , 1984.  She was unable to have children, but she was like a mother to all of us.  She was a very special sister, aunt, great aunt, godmother, and friend.

She lived in Chicago with her two sisters, Helen and Rose, until they all moved to Mission Viejo in June 2000.

They joined St. Kilian parish after a few years of “floating” to different Masses around the area.  Ann was a regular at the 7 am Mass on Sunday until her health started to fail. In early 2021, she completely lost her eyesight due to macular degeneration. Those remaining months of being blind and bed-ridden provided the opportunity for Ann to become even more of a prayer warrior through her silent suffering. She loved our Lord, Mary, and our Catholic Church and had a life-long devotion to praying the Rosary. She loved to watch and listen to the daily Mass on EWTN and never missed an opportunity to encourage others to pray the Rosary, to attend adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and to go to Confession. Ann was very resolved in her faith all her life and she knew God had a plan for her. Through the daily living out of her faith, she was a tremendous example of piety and devotion and was a wonderful inspiration to all who knew her. Ann died peacefully at home, listening to the Divine Mercy Chaplet on EWTN.

Ann leaves behind a multitude of family who will love and miss her. She is survived by her nieces: Candy Pravitz (Ken), Sophia Rose Dodd (Laurin), Margie Cribari (Richard), Sharon Ann Konar (Wayne), Jennifer Younger (Moody), Christine Prentice; her nephews: Earl Santy, Jim Santy (Deana), Anton Smoljan, Arthur Smoljan (Diana), David Smoljan (Michelle), Alford Prentice, Clarence O’Connor (Bonnie); her sister-in-law Delphine Smoljan; great nephews: Kenny Pravitz (Stasi), James, Joseph, John and Justin Santy, and many more great nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, Ann requested a donation be made to EWTN, to continue the propagation of our faith. The address and phone number are

5817 Old Leeds Road, Irondale, AL 35210. 1.800.447.3986.